Excerpt from the diary of Dr. Glascock, Guilford Courthouse, 1781
Excerpt from the diary of Dr. Glasscock, Guilford Courthouse, 1781 On a piece of paper found recently at excavations at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, unverified: "The blood of good men ſtain my hands and they will not waſh clean. How ſo many men could loſe their lifes in but an hour and a half, only the Almighty knows. Cornwallis holds the field, but the coſt on both ſides is great. Greene retreated in good order, but I was ordered back to the field under the flag of truce to help with the wounded. I heard Tarleton and his Dragoons were on the field and knowing their bloody reputation, I did not wiſh to go, but I could not in good conſcience ignore the wails of the wounded and dying in the wood. I arrived back at the field near nightfall. Never have I ſeen ſo many dead and dying. I could not walk but a pace in the wood without finding a man bleeding by a tree or a badly mauled lump of meat that was once part of a man. Even by lamp light, I could ſee that ſome of the redcoats had died by their own cannons. I do not know if Cornwallis ordered his own men to be fired on or if his cannons misfired, but I heard ſome of the 23rd Regiment of Foot talking about loſing more men to their own than to the Colonials. Strange things affect men’s minds in the darkneſs of a battlefield. A body of Friends from New Garden were already helping to tend the wounded when another group of Moravians from Salem arrived well after nightfall and the rain came with them. I do not know how they came to hear about the battle and reach the field ſo quickly. They were led by a stark man called Bachman, whom each Moravian payed a ſtrange reverence to. The Friends themſelves would have none of him and, after ſome diſcuſsion in which I could ſwear Bachman was ready to do more violence, the Friends agreed to ſtay at the field hoſpitals we were ſetting up in homes while the Moravians went to ſearch for the dead and dying. I know well my mind is addled by toil and lack of ſleep. I write this by the morning light and I cannot truſt my memory nor my ſenſe. Deſpite this, I cannot ignore that the men the Moravians brought to Hoſkins’ farmſtead ſeemed more anemic than wounded. We loſt many men this night that ſhould have lived. I cannot explain myſelf or why ſo many were loſt. One rifleman was in ſuch a fit he had to be tied down… he raved about ſome devil called the ‘Guardian of the Wood’ that was collecting ſouls in the woods. Bachman happened by the room he was in, the rifleman began ſcreaming and tearing at his bandages… he ſcreamed until his laſt breath choked him. It is morning now and the rain ſtill falls, as if trying to waſh the blood from this battlefield. I have ſeen my ſhare of fighting while travelling with Greene. I know well what dying men look like and I know which ſhould live and which ſhould die. Too many men have died in this wicked, wet darkneſs. Too many are simply gone from theſe wretched woods. The only happy news is that Bachman and his Moravians left for Salem well before ſunriſe. The work was not done, but they did not ſeem to have a mind to remain. I ſwear I heard one of them call Bachman Erzbiſchof. Only I know well Moravians have no Archbiſhops and only Papiſts uſe that title. I need reſt. All will be clear with a day of bed beneath me. By eſtimate: 100 dead 430 wounded over 1000 miſsing Dr. W. Glaſcock March 16 1781 Guilford Courthouſe" Category:Setting Category:History